Testing for Echo at Great South Bay Music Fest

Voted one of Long Island’s Best Bands of 2010 by The Long Island Press, Testing for Echo took their name from the subject-line of an email received by singer/guitarist Rich Albergo. The rock quartet—with Eric Mazurkewitz on keys, Pete Koronios on drums and Mike Gaudiello on bass—released their EP “Resolution,” including six songs and three instrumental segue tracks, earlier this month.

“For the writing and recording of ‘The Resolution’ we listened to a lot of the Dear Hunter, Dredg, Muse, and Coldplay’s last album is also a high-water-mark in music for us,” notes Koronios. “I’d love to see us achieve that level of innovation, comfort and artistry, all while making pop songs. It’s a challenge to make that formula consistently fresh and interesting, and we don’t want to be the type of band that makes a record and then says, ‘Okay, we’re done for a while.’ We’re constantly jamming and writing.”

The band has a diverse sound that spans from alt-rock to experimental, with songs like “Epiphany” showcasing their heavier Tool meets Pantera side, and “Over(dramatic)” having more of a pop rock sensibility. They’ve been invited to play the Vans Warped Tour at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday, July 17th, and will also be playing the Great South Bay Music Festival on Sunday, July 11th. The GSB Music Festival, which runs from July 9th-11th, has been compared to Woodstock. Koronios elaborates:

“After traveling around outside of New York, you realize Long Island is sort of like its own country. [It has a] very distinct and unique, yet broad, culture. The GSB Music Festival celebrates that culture for three days and supports our local arts and music scene. In that sense, it’s much more than just a concert—plus, it’s a wild time.” http://www.myspace.com/testingforecho

Lisa Heffernan received a master’s in Communications from Emerson College before moving to New York. She has worked for publications such as: Details, Nylon, Rolling Stone, Time Out, Newport Mercury, American Songwriter and W magazine.